“In the Heat of the Moment” Speaker Ryan Fails to Make Americans Safer

At his weekly press conference today, Speaker Paul Ryan was asked about the importance of passing bipartisan, commonsense legislation to close the loophole that currently allows suspects on the FBI Terror Watchlist to buy firearms.

Dismissively, he called such efforts a “quick idea in the heat of the moment.” This is an utterly inadequate response to an important first step towards making Americans safer in the face of terrorist attacks like Orlando and San Bernardino.

Ryan’s answer is also wholly inaccurate. This legislation was first introduced in 2007, and there have been thirteenopportunities this Congress alone to allow a vote on the legislation, going back to December.

“For Speaker Ryan to dismiss the No Fly, No Buy bill as a ‘quick idea in the heat of the moment’ is not only reckless, it’s inaccurate. This legislation was first introduced by one of Ryan’s own members in 2007, and there have now been thirteen opportunities this Congress to consider it since December. Overwhelmingly, the American people want to close this loophole that allows suspects of terror to purchase firearms, so Speaker Ryan should stop being so cavalier and get the House Republicans on the same page as their constituents,” said Meredith Kelly of the DCCC.

Over the past decade, according to federal data, thousands of suspected terrorists on the FBI’s Terrorist Watchlist bought weapons in the United States. Even before the tragedy in San Bernardino, Orlando and other recent terror-related events, the vast majority of Americans, including gun owners, have long supportedclosing this loophole.

#RyanRealityCheck

Speaker Paul Ryan took over the reins of the unruly House Republican Conference with lofty ambitions for a "Year of Ideas." Follow this space as we bring the Speaker back down to Earth, with the help of the House Freedom Caucus and the GOP presidential field.